Goin' Home to Grandview
by Mary Brown
I'm going back to Grandview and I'm gonna leave today!
Where the people are the grandest in the good ole U.S.A.
I'm gonna stake my future on rebuilding my old dream
And make the Cody Speedrome new again...know what I mean?
I'm getting kind of frustrated and kind of wonder why
The county won't cooperate.....Their story......I dont buy!
That dubious Roger Pearson, is a pain in my backside!
He's the cause of all my troubles and he has some things to hide
The meeting I attended at the courthouse told it all
They're scheming to evict me and I'm headed for a fall!
Enter Tim, the Pearsons eldest, to my rescue, he appears!
And he pounces on those vultures, and it's music to my ears.
He exposes his own father for the scoundrel that he is.
and I feel an obligation for the sacrifice was his.
In the town there is another I've had feelings ...from afar
Ernie Webster..."Slam"...we call him and he loves his yellow car.
He is married to a tease who is unfaithful and untrue.....
and "Slam" catches them together and creates a Balleyhoo!
Boyfriend Donny winds up shot and wifey Candy did the deed.
Husband "Slam" beats up the car and winds up all alone to breed (er thats
brood)!
Ernie turns to Mike.... and finds her in the arms of "Tiny Tim"
Then goes off to spy upon his wife and she's... of course...with "Him"
"Slam" picks up his faithful bulldozer and heads for his abode
Where he lovingly and cheerfully begins to clear a road!
At the end of this fun night our "Slam" is carried off to jail
And sweet Candy and her Donny are exposed from head to tail!
While the night is young its very clear...that somethings in the air
And the speedrome starts to smoke and flames are shooting everywhere!
And when it's over all are sad but sorrier than most......
Is "Our" special buddy Cowboy who turned the Drome to toast.
But all is well and all is good when Mike makes bail for "Slam"
and Roger Pearson makes ammends and buys the land SHAZAMM!
So Ernie and his Mike start out....a whole new life begins
and Tim takes off in Mikes' old clunk to see the great dolphins.
The story's told and now you know .... how life is at its best!
Come visit us in Grandview and we'll treat you like a guest!
For us this town is something real and something every day
is happening to someone good in Grandview U.S.A.
Peyton Place in Grandview USA?
by Rene, the kinkybean of SwayzeMania
Smashed up cars, a sex kitten, one hunk of a man, a very determined woman,
and a young man that thinks below his waist. These are all things that
you'll find in the rip roaring, action packed movie Grandview U.S.A.
A very young Patrick Swayze plays it well as he maneuvers not only his car
during the demolition derby scenes, but also as he maneuvers his way into
the hearts of his fans. He's devastatingly handsome in a boyish sort of way
as he tries to remain faithful to his unfaithful wife while knowing he's in
love with another. The struggles are evident in his facial expressions as
he watches Mike (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) try to hold onto her dreams of
reviving the Speed Dome Demolition Derby that her father built. Armed with
no money, but a lot of determination, she fights the entire city for the
right to run her business.
Enter a young man, Tim, who is played very well by C. Thomas Howell....a
young man that thinks with parts of his anatomy that are obviously not
connected to his brain. He provides much comedy to this movie with lines
reminiscent of "I carried a watermelon!"
The overall plot of the movie is very apparent from the beginning as good
faces evil and good overcomes with true love in the end. Mike gets Ernie,
while Tim learns about love and life and having your dreams come true.
There are scenes in this movie not suitable for the young...scenes that
could have been eliminated and the quality of the film would still have
prevailed. In this critic's views, the scene of Mike and Ernie at the jail
was the most romantic scene imaginable...and there wasn't any nudity
involved. In the vast scheme of things, though, Grandview USA is a town
where everybody knows your name...and nobody really wants to leave! (except
Tim for his education!...and this critic says....let him go!) After all,
final scenes gives us Ernie and Mike in a very lifelike and realistic
portrayal of a man and woman in love enjoying the small town parade. What
could be better???
Two thumbs up!!!
Grandview U.S.A. is a CBS Theatrical Film, directed by Randal Kleiser, written by Ken Hixon, with an original score by Thomas Newman.
The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Troy Donahue with some nice performances by fellow actors William Windom, Carole Cook, John Cusack, Joan Cusack, and Ramon Bieri.
Not to be overlooked amid the wonderful talent in the film are the stunt drivers which helped to bring the various demolition derby scenes to life. These drivers included Bob Harris, Beau Van Den Ecker, Mike Vendrell, Jerry Brutsche, Conrad Palmisano, and David Perna. It will not be a surprise to Swayze fans, that yes, indeed, Patrick did much of his own driving in the derby shots as well!
Some Grandview U.S.A. Tidbits of Knowledge
Grandview U.S.A. was filmed in Pontiac, Illinois, though originally producers had hoped to film it in one of the six US states that actually have a town named Grandview -- Washington, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana and Illinois.
The dance sequences were choreographed by Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi!
The speeddrome itself had to be built in Pontiac, and once completed, the town asked if it could remain in tact for use after filming.
Some basic facts about "Grandview U.S.A."
Released August 3, 1984
Domestic Box Office: $4,700,000
97 Minutes, Rated R, from Warner Brothers
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